Carol opened her eyes, sitting up in bed. Still half asleep, she rubbed her eyes, looking around the empty bedroom as memories of the previous night came rushing back to her.
She had lost and lost badly. All her carefully laid plans seemed to crumble to dust whenever Loki was involved.
She had been so sure she could win, and Loki had taken full advantage of her arrogance. Her face flushed as she remembered the intense look in his eyes as he fucked her. She had been helpless to stop him… and the worse, she had loved every second of it.
She stood up, going to the window, trying to clear her head, wondering what was wrong with her. Loki was everything she hated: arrogant, stubborn, egotistical. So why did he excite her so much? Why did she feel so alive when she was with him? Would she be able to escape him when the time came? Would she even want to?
She remembered what he said about Minn-Erva, a faint blush coloring her cheeks as she did. Minn-Erva had always been aloof with her, and they had never truly bonded as teammates. Sure, they had a rivalry. As the only two women on the team, it naturally put them in competition with each other, but they were both just competitive.
That was all it was, wasn't it? She didn't harbor any latent attraction to Minn-Erva, and she was positive Minn-Erva didn't feel that way about her either.
It was just Loki playing his games, winding her up for his own amusement. It had to be, but despite that, her thoughts still lingered on her former teammate, seeing their past interactions in a new light.
"Urgh!" Carol growled, stamping her foot, hating how complicated Loki made things for her.
She frowned, not feeling the hum of the engines. "Mimir? Did we leave… Sv-svar-tolf-lem?" She asked, trying to remember the name of the planet.
"No such planet exists," Mimir chirped.
Carol growled, feeling a flash of anger. Mimir, supposedly a hyper-intelligent AI, had become annoyingly obtuse lately. It knew full when what planet she was talking about.
She remembered complaining about a similar incident to Loki, telling him to fix its programming, but he had only laughed, reminding her Mimir was there to serve him, and not her, and that he saw nothing wrong with its response.
"The planet!" Carol snapped angrily. "The one we visited yesterday. Whatever it's called, are we in orbit around it?"
"We are," Mimir chirped again.
"Why?" Carol demanded, still annoyed.
"I am unable to provide the answer to your query," Mimir replied.
Carol glowered, knowing it was pointless to question the AI further. The only way she would find out what was going on was by asking Loki directly. "Is Loki on the bridge?" She asked.
"Affirmative," Mimir replied.
Carol nodded, going to the door, letting out a long suffering sign when the door remained closed. "Can I go to the bridge?" She asked, feeling especially annoyed that she now had to ask for permission before going anywhere on the ship by herself.
Worst of all, the instructions weren't even coming from Loki, but Mimir itself. The AI could revoke her access to any part of the ship whenever it chose, even locking her in whatever room she found herself in until either Loki called for her, or it decided she could leave, ensuring that even when Loki wasn't around she couldn't make a single decision for herself.
"Affirmative," Mimir chirped.
Carol stood in front of the bedroom door, waiting for it to open, but as the seconds ticked by it became clear Mimir had no intention of letting her out.
"What the hell?" Carol demanded, losing what little of her patience remained. "You said I could go to the bridge, open the door!"
"Negative," Mimir replied.
"Why not?" Carol ground out, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"You are required to clean yourself before leaving the bedroom," Mimir replied.
Carol audibly groaned, truly hating the AI in that moment. It was only ever helpful when Loki was around, and it was becoming clear that this wasn't just a quirk of its programming. It was doing it on purpose.
She let out a long sigh, looking down at herself, feeling the stickiness between her thighs, as she ran her fingers through her hair. "Mimir, can I go to take a shower?" She asked, just wanting to get this over with.
"Affirmative," Mimir replied, the door to the bathroom sliding open. "You may request permission to go to the bridge when you are properly cleansed," Mimir replied.
Carol looked at the speaker Mimir used to communicate through flatly, but said nothing as she walked to the bathroom, stepping into the shower. The door slid shut behind her as the various shower heads sprung to life, the temperature already set by Mimir.
Carol pressed her forehead against the cool tile of the shower wall as the warm jets of water washed over her, letting out a contented sigh despite her situation.
She was a prisoner in a golden cage, and the luxuries afforded to her sometimes made that easy to forget.
As she showered, she thought about what happened on the planet, how Loki, for all intents and purposes, wiped out an entire race of beings older than the universe itself.
All that remained of their history, art, and culture, wiped out in an instant. But despite that, she couldn't bring herself to feel anything but relief now that they were gone. Their race had been a blight on the universe.
She shivered, remembering the look in Malekith's eyes, the barely contained madness, how he had committed his entire race to a genocidal act that would have ended billions of lives.
Even after his first defeat, his entire planet destroyed in the battle, and his people almost entirely wiped out, he was still just as committed to his mad cause as ever.
She felt relieved Loki had been there to finally put an end to it, glad that he found them before they had another opportunity to enact their insane plan.
She reached for the soap, lathering her face and chest with it, feeling how smooth and soft her skin was, even weeks after Lyria's treatments. She had checked multiple times, and not ea single hair had grown back since she removed them.
She dropped her hand lowers, running her fingers over her hairless mound, washing away the evidence of her activities with Loki the previous night, her cheeks reddening at the memory.
She felt tempted to pump her fingers inside her slick cunt as her mind flashed back to how Loki took her. It was raw and powerful, yet sensual at the same time, making her yearn for more, but Mimir was watching her, and if she tried, Loki would know, and she would find herself back across his knee again.
She took a deep breath, pushing aside her lust filled thoughts. When she felt she was clean enough for Mimir's inspection, she stepped out of the shower, using a towel to dry herself off before going back to the door again.
"Mimir, can I go to the bridge now?" Carol asked, hoping the AI wouldn't make anymore demands of her.
"You may proceed," Mimir chirped. "Be warned, you may only go to the bridge. Any deviation from these instructions will result in punishment," it said, opening the bedroom door.
Carol gave a half hearted glare at the speaker the AI used to speak through. It never seemed to miss an opportunity to rub that event in her face.
A few days ago, Loki had ordered her to go to the bridge. She decided to get a snack first, and thought nothing of it, but as soon as she arrived on the bridge, Loki put her over his knee.
She rubbed her ass, still remembering the spanking he gave her. It had stung, but far worse than that was the embarrassment she felt. Loki had easily overpowered her. That was nothing new, but to her shock, she felt herself getting aroused the longer he spanked her.
Loki had noticed too. He hadn't said a word about it, but the satisfied smirk on his face said it all.
He told her then that disobeying Mimir was the same as disobeying him, and her punishment would come just as swiftly if she disobeyed the AI again.
It was deeply humbling, knowing that even Loki's AI had more had more authority than her these days, and how far she had fallen from the elite soldier she once was.
She walked through the silent hallways of the ship, feeling the hum of engines through the deck plating on her bare feet. 'Loki's ship,' she thought, correcting herself.
The ship was unrecognizable from the simple drop ship it had once been, the one she'd traveled through the galaxy in for so many years. The utilitarian design was gone, replaced by a far more opulent and lavish design that spoke far more to Loki's tastes than her own.
In a way, the ship felt like a metaphor for herself, changed to suit Loki's tastes and desires, and firmly held under his control.
When she arrived on the bridge, she found Loki sitting in the command chair, looking through the readouts on the screen. He seemed to be completely absorbed in what he was reading, not even looking up when she came in.
She crossed the bridge, going to the window as she looked down at the planet. Even from this distance, she could make out the craters left behind after Loki destroyed the Dark Elf ships in his search for the reality stone.
The craters stood out in stark contrast to the rest of the planet, making it obvious something happened on the dead world, something that would soon draw the attention of anyone that traveled along this route.
Carol looked back at Loki. "Why are we still here?" she asked, wondering what had him so interested that he would stay, and risk being discovered.
Loki looked up from his instrument panel, a smirk on his face as he took in the sight of his slave. Her hair damp from her recent shower, hands on her hips as she stared at him expectantly, not even a hint of embarrassment on her face at her nudity.
The taboo she felt about it initially had been annoyingly difficult to break her of, but well worth the effort he put into it. After all, what was the purpose of having such beauty, only to cover it up?
He felt his cock stir, but fought back the urge to take her in his lap and push his engorged cock into her slick cunt, reenacting what they had done the previous night, but unfortunately he was on a timetable, and couldn't risk delaying their departure to indulge himself any more than he already had.
"A happy coincidence," Loki smiled. "One of the explosions revealed something deep inside the planet. It looks to be a store of knowledge, possibly even a history of the Dark Elves."
"You want to go back to the planet to get it," Carol realized, not like the prospect of returning to the planet at all.
"Creator, a ship has been detected at the edge of my sensor range. Instructions?" Mimir interrupted, bringing up a star chart on the screen.
"What can you tell me about it?" Loki asked, pulling up the scanners to have a look himself, annoyed that his activities had been detected so soon.
"The ship is on a collision course with us, heavily armed, and twice our size," Mimir responded.
"What are our chances?" Loki asked, studying the readings.
"Unclear. The ship is still too far out of my sensor range to perform a detailed scan of its weapon systems," Mimir responded.
Carol looked out the window silently, seeing a tiny speck far off in the distance, feeling a twinge of worry. There was no getting around it. It was a warship.
The planet was too far away from other inhabited worlds for this to be a coincidence. They either came here for the reality stone, or them. There was no other reason for a ship of that size to be out here.
Loki's eyes widened as the ship was finally close enough to get a clear picture of it. "Thanos," he muttered, recognizing the design and markings on the ship immediately. The mad titan had found him.
His only saving grace was the ship was too small to be Thanos's flagship, making it unlikely for the mad titan to be here himself, which meant only one thing. He'd sent the Black Order after him.
"Can we outrun them?" Loki asked.
"Negative," Mimir replied.
Loki cursed, looking down at the planet. He would have to fight them, but he couldn't do it here, and risk the cache being discovered, and falling into their hands.
"Plot a course away from here," Loki ordered. "An uninhabited planet or asteroid, somewhere I can fight them. Make it look like we're running," he added, not wanting to draw their attention to Svartalfheim and the cache.
"Course laid in," Mimir replied, the ship's engines flaring to life as they sped away from the planet.
"Enemy vessel is firing on us, taking evasive maneuvers," Mimir replied as the ship suddenly lurched to the side.
Carol stumbled, nearing falling to the ground as two angry streaks of red lights flew past them, striking the planet below.
For the next hour, Carol knelt at Loki's feet, glancing at his instrument panel, watching as they got closer and closer to wherever Loki was taking them, the enemy ship slowly gaining on them.
She felt the tension in the air, especially when the enemy ship fired on them, but remained silent, knowing that even with Mimir to pilot the ship, Loki would need to fully concentrate on whatever plan he was coming up with to deal with them.
Loki stood up, his armor forming around him as they finally arrived on a desolate asteroid, landing on its surface.
"Mimir, take Carol to the bedroom. She can not be found, under any circumstances," Loki ordered.
"What? No!" Carol demanded. She didn't want to sit this out, especially knowing they were here to kill them. "I can help you," Carol pleaded. "Just give me a weapon!"
"No," Loki shook his head. Above all else, Thanos couldn't find out about Carol's existence. "You will go to the bedroom, and do exactly as Mimir tells you," he ordered, leaving no room for argument.
"What good would that do?" Carol demanded, ignoring the warning in Loki's tone. "They clearly found us all the way out here. Do you really think they won't find me hiding under the bed?!"
"Carol," Loki glared. "You will do as you are told. This is not the time to test my patience."
Carol glared back, refusing to be left out, especially with the risk of both of them dying. "NO!"
Loki let out a frustrated sigh, checking the sensors again. They were closing in fast. "Mimir."
Carol watched in confusion as a panel opened and a floating ball of light appeared, the physical form Mimir used when they were on the planet, but it was different now. There was a metallic box floating just beneath it.
She only had a second to wonder what it was before a metallic tentacle shot out of the base, wrapping around her wrists. She gasped in surprise as it floated to the door, dragging her along with it.
"Damn it, Loki!" Carol cursed, digging in her heels in as she strained to pull her hands free.
"Go, Carol," Loki said, returning his attention to the screen as he waited for the enemy ship to land.
Carol continued to curse and struggle as Mimir dragged her back to the bedroom, but couldn't break the AI's grip.
When the bedroom doors closed behind her, Mimir finally released her. She turned on her heel, banging on the door. "Let me out!" she demanded.
"Negative," Mimir replied.
"What good is hiding here going to do me?" Carol shouted, rounding on the AI.
Mimir didn't respond, but she heard a humming noise coming from the foot of the bed. A few seconds later, a panel she hadn't even realized was there slid away, revealing a metallic cage.
"What's that?" Carol demanded, looking at the cage suspiciously.
There was a soft click before a door on the side popped open. "Enter the cage," Mimir ordered.
"You've got to be kidding," Carol said, staring at the cage in disbelief. She would have to get on her hands and knees just to crawl inside, and even then, it would be a tight fit.
"Negative," Mimir replied.
"Absolutely not!" Carol denied angrily, stepping away. "I'm not just some pet Loki can put in a cage!"
Mimir's metallic tentacles shot out again, wrapping around Carol's wrists and stomach, pulling her to the ground, quickly bringing Carol to her hands and knees.
Carol yelped as Mimir dragged her to the opening of the cage, slipping inside first as it dragged her behind it.
"No!" Carol grunted, straining her arms as she tried to break free, but it was useless. There was nothing for her to grab onto, and when she heard the door to the cage latch closed behind her, she knew she was stuck.
"Let me go!" Carol demanded angrily, kicking her feet at the back of the cage, trying to break it open, only for another pair of metallic tentacles, this time appearing form inside the cage itself wrap themselves around her ankles, holding her in place.
She could only watch in dismay as the cage sunk back down into the floor, the panel closing shut behind her as the cage lowered into the belly of the ship. "What is this? What's going on?"
"You are being transported to the center of the ship. It is the most heavily fortified section, and will mask your life signs from the enemy vessel," Mimir replied.
"Why does it have to be so small?" Carol complained, reluctantly accepting that she wouldn't be able to convince Mimir to let her out as they finally came to a stop.
"To avoid detection, the compartment needs to be small," Mimir replied.
"So I'm just supposed to sit here until Loki comes to get me?" Carol demanded indignantly.
"Affirmative," Mimir replied.
Carol huffed, rolling her eyes. "Can you at least show me what's going on?"
"That is not required for your safety," Mimir responded.
"…Please," Carol said after a long moment, needing something to focus on rather than cramped cage she was stuck inside.
A small screen slid out in front of Carol, showing the security feed outside the ship, revealing Loki standing in front of the ship as two figures approached him.
***
Loki watched as the Black Order ship landed in front of him. He glanced behind him, glad that he'd walked a good distance away from his ship first. He couldn't afford for it to get caught in the crossfire.
He exhaled slowly, regarding the two figures that emerged from the ship carefully. One of them looked to be a giant, a hulking figure that towered over him, and the second a woman, lean and athletic, seemingly the weaker of the two.
He narrowed his eyes, regarded her carefully, knowing that appearances were deceiving, and for her to be inducted into the Black Order, she must have impressed Thanos somehow.
"Loki Odinson," the woman said with a dark grin, reminding him of a snake. "Your treachery has not gone unnoticed. Thanos demands retribution, along with the infinity stones you have collected thus far. Hand them over now and Thanos may show you mercy."
"As tempting as that offer is…" Loki said, silently asking for the woman's name.
"You may call me Proxima Midnight," the woman replied.
"And your friend?" Loki asked, nodding to the giant.
"Cull Obsidian," Proxima replied as the giant grunted.
"Well then, Cull Obsidian, Proxima Midnight, I regret to inform you that you have made this long journey for nothing," Loki replied, seeing if he could bluff his way out of this. "I had a change of heart. Midgard no longer interests me, and I have collected no stones."
"Your lies will not save you this time," Cull growled. "The stones. Now. Or your life."
"Think carefully," Proxima said, stepping forward. "Thanos may yet forgive your… indiscretions, provided you give us the stones now. You do not want him as your enemy."
Loki couldn't help but snort at the idea of Thanos and forgiveness. "I think I'm insulted," he said with a laugh, genuinely wondering if they thought such an obvious lie would work on him. "Everyone knows there is no forgiveness in the mad titan."
Cull roared, charging forward, as he raised his hammer, ready to flatten the Asgardian, and end the battle before it started.
Loki took a giant leap backwards, creating some distance between himself and the giant as he created three illusions of himself to take his place, then created an additional three to keep Proxima busy.
Cull's hammer passed through his fist illusion, shattering it on impact, creating an opening for his remaining illusions to go on the attack. The first one went high, jumping in the air as it slammed its knee into the side of Cull's head while the other used its daggers to slash at his armored chest, sending sparks into the air, but doing no damage.
The real Loki frowned. Neither one of his illusions managed to even land a scratch on him, enraging Cull more than anything else.
He glances at his clones fighting Proxima to see her taking them down even faster, her spear spinning in her hands as she dodged and weaved around his illusions attacks, slipping past their guards with ease as she struck them with pinpoint accuracy, shattering them within seconds of each other.
"Your illusions won't save you, Loki, not from us, and certainly not from Thanos," Proxima crowed, her spear crackling with energy as she leveled it at him, a wide smile on her face at the prospect of a true battle.
Loki realized that creating more illusions would only be a waste of magic. They weren't strong enough to injure Cull, and they were too slow to land a hit on Proxima. Defeating them both would require some out of the box thinking.
Cull growled, finally destroying the last of Loki's illusions. Losing what little patience he had, he threw his hammer at Loki.
The head of his weapon detached, flying through the air, but still connected by a thick chain to the handle of his hammer gripped tightly in his fist.
Loki quickly raised his newly acquired daggers, deflecting the attack, and creating a shower of sparks as metal ground against metal.
As the chain flew past him, he swiped at it again, slicing cleanly through it.
Proxima was on him an instant later, weaving her spear in a complex attack, using the extra reach her weapon provided to her advantage.
Loki took a step back, forced to go on the defensive as he withstood Proxima's attacks, using his daggers to deflect her thrusts, glad that he had taken them from Malekith when he did, realizing quickly that his old ones were nowhere near strong enough to withstand her attacks.
Out of the corner of his eye he could see Cull circling behind him, now understanding why Thanos had sent the pair of them after him.
Individually they were strong, but together they were a truly formidable pair, their skills complimenting each other, and leaving few if any gaps for him to exploit.
He cast another illusion, but this time only allowing Cull to see it, making it appear as if he was a little further to his right than he actually was.
Cull lunged at Loki, using his clawed hand to stab into his back. He smiled inwardly, thinking he had succeeded, but at the last possible moment, Loki pivoted to his side, dodging his attack, moving much faster than he had before.
Cull's eyes went wide as Loki grabbed his wrist, giving it a sharp tug. Before he could process it, he was stumbling forward, off balance, and out of position.
He went flying into Proxima, who had to cut off her own attack to avoid skewering him, sending them both to the ground in a tangle of limbs.
Proxima, now seething with anger, shoved Cull away as she rose to her feet, regarding Loki carefully. He was far more skilled than Thanos led them to believe, not only deflecting their attacks but re-directing them as well.
Cull growled, slamming his fist on the ground in frustration before he rising to his feet. Without his hammer, he was limited to close range attacks only, something he was sure Loki would use to his advantage.
Loki jumped backwards, throwing both his daggers at Cull, using his illusions to make it appear as if twenty daggers were flying at him instead of just two.
In the split second he threw his daggers, he watched Cull carefully as he dove to the side. Smirking, he switching his daggers with his illusions, making sure they landed.
Cull roared in pain as both daggers sunk deeply into his clawed arm, one at his forearm and the other at his shoulder.
Proxima surged forward, intent on taking advantage of Loki's unarmed state, but it was easier said than done. He was fast, extremely so, dodging and weaving around her attacks, but eventually she saw it, an opening in his defenses. She feigned right before quickly pulling back her spear and aiming for the left side of his chest.
'Got you,' she thought viciously. He was out of position and overextended. It was only for a split second, but that was all she needed, and now there was no way for him to dodge her attack.
The moment before the tip of her spear sunk into Loki's chest, she heard a roar of pain from Cull, and suddenly Loki's daggers were in his hands in a cross guard.
She had to turn her head as sparks flow off their weapons; her attack blocked.
Jumping backwards, she glanced at Cull, still clutching his arm in agony as blood oozed from his wounds.
She looked back at Loki, who grinned at her savagely, his blades dripping with Cull's blood.
Loki looked back and forth between Cull and Proxima. They were more cautious now, less sure of their victory.
Cull's left arm was useless now, but his right arm was another story, a wicked-looking metal claw that could still cause him a lot of trouble if he wasn't careful.
He still hadn't landed a hit on Proxima, and that worried him. She was clearly the more dangerous of the two, fast and agile, and with the extended reach her spear gave her, it put him at a disadvantage, fighting her with his daggers.
Cull and Proxima nodded to each other before charging forward. Cull in the lead. He reared his arm back before lunging forward to skewer Loki through the stomach with his claw.
Loki saw the attack coming, and jumped to the right to avoid the attack, realizing a moment later it was only a cover for Proxima's attack. His eyes widened as she leapfrogged over Cull's shoulder, spear raised as she launched herself at him.
He raised his daggers to block her attack, and that was when she surprised him again, sending a blast of energy through her spear.
He hadn't expected an attack like that from her weapon, leaving him wide open for the energy blast to strike his chest, sending him hurtling backwards, and striking the ground hard as he dug a wide furrow in ground, finally coming to a stop.
Loki sat up, touching his chest gingerly. His armor had saved him, but it was now useless. "Impressive," he said, struggling to his feet as he retrieved his daggers. "I have to admit, I didn't see that one coming."
"This is your final warning, Loki Odinson," Proxima said, walking towards him slowly, Cull at her side. "The stones, now, or face the consequences."
Loki narrowed his eyes, seeing that Cull's injuries were already healing, and it wouldn't be long before he had full use of his arm again, if he didn't already.
He studied them carefully, looking for anything he could use, something to give him the edge he needed against them. That's when an idea struck him. He'd never attempted something like this before, but with the deeper understanding of his abilities he now possessed, it was possible.
He created another ten illusions, but not copies of himself, just inconspicuous chunks of rock, and spread them out across their impromptu battlefield, each of feeding to his mind a unique angle, giving him a 360 degree view of everything around him.
Loki held his daggers out in front of him, using a fighting stance he'd taken from Malekith's mind. "Come," he taunted. "Show me these consequences I should be so worried about."
Cull growled, feeling his wounds heal enough for him to use his arm again, eager to do just that.
"No," Proxima said, narrowing her eyes with suspicion. "Something feels off," she breathed. "Look, he's changed his fighting stance."
"It hardly matters now," Cull said, confidently stepping forward. "He's injured," he said, nodding to the open wound on Loki's chest from Proxima's attack. "He got in a few lucky hits, but it won't be enough to save him, and he knows it."
Loki hid his smirk as the big one took the bait. The illusion he cast to make his wound appear worse than it was had worked.
Over confident opponents were far easier to deal with than the cautious ones.
Before Proxima could warn him, Cull charged forward, quickly closing the distance between himself and Loki, going into a jab cross combination.
Loki snapped to the side, letting the jab fly past him, ducking under the cross that followed a moment later. As Cull brought his fist up for an uppercut, he jumped, landing one foot on Cull's meaty fist, using it to launch himself higher in the air.
'Not this time,' Loki thought as Proxima spring boarded off of Cull's shoulder. He had seen her moving before Cull even reached him thanks to his illusions, and knew she would go for the same attack again, and this time, he was prepared for it.
He saw her eyes widen as he sailed over her head, flipping and twisting in the air as he brought both his daggers down on her unprotected back, slicing through her armor, and sending her to the rocky ground in a bloody heap.
Proxima screamed as Loki's daggers bit into her back, easily slicing through her armor and piercing her flesh.
As Loki's feet touched the ground, he surged forward, pressing his advantage.
Proxima staggered to her feet, wincing as she rotated her shoulders, silently acknowledging that Loki had chosen his attack well, her range of movement now severely limited.
Proxima jumped back, creating distance between herself and Loki as she leveled her spear at him, wincing slightly as she found it much harder to keep her arms steady.
She couldn't risk getting in close, not until she recovered, forcing her to use her energy blasts to keep Loki off balance, and create openings for Cull to deliver the killing blow.
Loki dodged out of the way as Proxima shot an energy blast at him, realizing her strategy immediately. 'Not bad,' he thought grudgingly, understanding how these two had gained Thanos's favor.
He felt the hairs on his arm stand on end as one of her energy blasts nearly took his arm off at the shoulder, missing him only by a few inches as he slid underneath Cull's legs, just barely avoiding his kick.
He knew couldn't let the battle go on for much longer]. Proxima and Cull's fighting experience would eventually overwhelm him as their injuries healed, and just like him, they had been studying his fighting style as well, looking for gaps to exploit.
Loki kipped up to his feet, jumping onto Cull's back before the giant could turn around. He scrambled up his back, holding onto his shoulder guard as he brought his dagger up in a wicked arc, slashing Cull's left eye.
Cull roared in agony, blood pooling from his ruined eye, but didn't miss a beat, grabbing Loki by the neck, and flipping him over his back, sending him to the ground with a loud crash.
Loki gasped for breath. The wind knocked out of him as he landed heavily. He hadn't expected a counter so quickly, but even gasping for breath, he still had the presence of mind to cast another illusion.
Proxima smirked as Loki stood over Cull, taunting him. 'Your arrogance will be your undoing Odinson,' she thought vindictively, sending another energy blast, this time at his head.
Cull raised his booted leg, ready to cave in Loki's chest, when he saw a flash of light out of the corner of his remaining eye. He only had a moment to look shocked, feeling a burning pain before everything went dark, and he fell to the ground.
Loki continued to gasp for breath as Cull landed heavily on the ground beside him, his remaining eye open and lifeless.
He maintained his illusion of a victorious Cull standing over a defeated Loki as he got his breathing back under control, hearing the crunch of booted feet on rough stone as Proxima sauntered up to him.
"He put up a better fight than I expected," Proxima admitted, standing beside Cull, who just grunted, kicking Loki's lifeless body.
Proxima chuckled. After losing an eye to the Asgardian, she could hardly blame him for his reaction, but it made their job of finding the infinity stones that much more difficult, with no one to interrogate.
Loki silently switched places with his illusion of Cull standing over him, doing his best impression of him as he grunted. "Let's just get the stones and get out of here."
"Easier said than done," Proxima said, kneeling down to search what she assumed was Loki's corpse. "If he doesn't have them on him, we'll need to search his ship."
Loki knew he wouldn't get a better chance than this, and used the mind stone to knock out Proxima, sitting down heavily as he finally had a chance to catch his breath.
The battle had been far closer than he would have liked. He hadn't even considered using the stones in battle. The added distraction and strain of using them could have easily cost him everything.
It still left him with a burning question. How did Thanos know he was here? He doubted the Collector would have told him, even after the way he left Knowhere.
Inviting the attention of Thanos rarely, if ever, worked out.
Using the stone, he searched Proxima's mind, looking for answers. Images flashed in his mind, Thanos's fury when he found out he'd reneged on their bargain, and the realization he was making his own play for the stones.
An image of the power stone flashed in his mind, and a location, Morag. He watched Thanos send the Black Order, Corvus Glave, and Ebony Maw to retrieve it.
He wondered how much time he had, if he could get there and retrieve the stone before they arrived, but he wasn't sure if he was in any condition to take on another two members of the Black Order so soon after defeating Cull and Proxima.
He continued to search her mind, digging deeper, still curious how they knew to find him here, seeing images of of a stellar map, and vague instructions from Thanos to go to Svartelhiem, but curiously, not how Thanos himself knew.
Loki cast a glance at his ship. Carol locked away safely inside. He had to chance it and go to Morag, but his ship wouldn't be fast enough. He would have to leave it behind.
"Mimir," he said, using his communicator to call his ship. "Find a place to hide the ship on the asteroid, somewhere it won't be detected by sensors. I'll return soon."
"Acknowledged Creator," Mimir replied.
Loki took one last glance at Proxima, then back at his ship. He had used the mind stone to put her to sleep, so there was no risk of her waking up on her own.
He pulled out the space stone, concentrating on Morag, picturing the location he took from Proxima's mind.
He was gone in an instant, appearing in a temple chamber on Morag, but it was already too late. The pedestal that once held the power stone lay empty.
Loki felt his heart sink as he realized he was too late, and in all likelihood Thanos already had the power stone in his possession, and was already on the hunt for the others.
The only two stones left unaccounted for were the time stone, and the soul stone. Either would be extremely dangerous in Thanos's hands, along with the power stone he already possessed.
Loki sighed deeply, knowing he would have to step up his plans. Possessing the stones alone would not be enough, not now. He would need to harness their power in battle, and that meant going to Nidavellir far earlier than he planned.
"The Nine Realms," Loki said heavily. He wouldn't be able to hide his presence from Odin there for long.
Using the space stone again, he transported himself back to the asteroid.
***
Loki stood over the still unconscious form of Proxima, deep in thought. His plan had been to kill her after he returned, just like he'd done with Cull.
His reasoning at the time had been sound, denying Thanos his generals would benefit him, but two of his generals dead would hardly make a dent in his forces, certainly not enough to the turn the tides in an all out fight, and he would have his hands full with Thanos already.
Now he was not so sure it was the right course of action. Proxima, in particular, had been formidable, a skilled warrior, one he may yet have a use for.
He knelt beside her, tearing away what remained of her armor, not willing to risk her having a tracking device on her like Carol did. He scooped her up in his arms, taking her back to the ship, and put her in the same stasis pod he had put Carol in before, sealing her inside.
The pod would block any tracking devices hidden inside her body until he completed a more thorough search, and he could take his time examining her with the mind stone.
This latest battle had been eye opening for him on more than one front. He was still not ready to face Thanos, that much was obvious, and should he have sent another member of the Black Order with Proxima and Cull, he doubted he would have survived this fight.
Carol was also left unprotected, something he couldn't risk happening again. She would need a protector, someone to watch over her when he was otherwise engaged. With the right tweaks to Proxima's mind, she could be that protector, but that would have to wait until later.
He was still far too close to Svartalfheim for his liking, and if Thanos sent another ship, it wouldn't take them long to find him here.
He sighed heavily, his plans for retrieving the cache on Svartalfheim would have to wait.
Loki returned to the bridge of his ship, sitting down in his command chair heavily, feeling the effects of using both the mind stone and the space stone as much as he did.
"Mimir," Loki called, massaging his temples. "Set course for Nidavellir. Best speed."
"Acknowledged Creator, course laid in," Mimir replied.
"Inform me of anything of interest that appears on the sensors," Loki said as he considered his next moves.
Thanos couldn't perform the snap with the stones alone. He would need to use the gauntlet to harness their power. That meant going to Nidavellir as well, but considering his renewed interest in the stones, it may be a secondary priority for him at the moment.
He stroked his chin, considering the possibilities. If Thanos got to the Dwarves first, he would wipe them out to ensure no once else made another infinity gauntlet, but if he arrived first, he could convince the Dwarves to flee, perhaps even to Asgard.
Normally Odin's protection would be enough to ward off the likes of Thanos, but his possession of the power stone changed things, a battle between them would not be so clear cut, and despite everything he still cared about his homeland, and the people he once fought to rule over.
There was also the matter of the other two infinity stones. He didn't know where they were, only a vague idea of where they could be, and who to ask.
Going to Nidavellir was his only real option. He needed to prioritize wielding the infinity stones he possessed over finding the remaining ones.
He stood up from his command chair, his decision made as he went to his bedroom, a small smirk on his face as he imagined the look on Carol's face when he arrived.
Loki sat down on his bed, calling for Mimir to return Carol, watching as the floor panel slid away and Carol's cage rose from the floor.
"Loki!" Carol exclaimed angrily. "Get me out of here! What happened to you? Where did you go after the fight? Were they here for the stones?"
"Always so curious," Loki chuckled, moving to stand in front of Carol, enjoying the sight of her in her bondage, not only locked inside the cage, but with her arms and legs restrained inside it. It suited her.
"I'm serious, Loki!" Carol demanded. "I've been in here for more than an hour, and it's cramped!"
"In a moment," Loki said with a smirk as he reached his fingers inside the cage, trailing his fingers along the curve of Carol's ass, feeling his cock harden as he got a wicked idea.
Carol looked up at Loki wearily, recognizing the look in his eyes immediately. The feeling only deepened when he made his way to the chest he got from Lyria.
"I have something for you," Loki said, keeping his voice light as he rummaged through the chest. "I think you'll enjoy it. Here it is," he said, pulling out a wooden box.
Loki moved back in front of Carol, opening the box in front of her, smiling when she saw the confusion in her eyes. 'Good,' he thought. 'This will be a new experience for her.'
"Whatever that is, I don't want it!" Carol shouted. "Just get me out of this damn thing!"
"Let's expand your horizons, Carol," Loki said, undeterred, taking the item out of the box and holding it up for Carol to see.
Carol glanced at the thing in Loki's hands, still confused by what it was, and what he planned to do with it.
It was a string with a loop at the end. Attached to the string was a series of balls, each of them equally spaced apart, with each ball getting progressively larger.
Loki moved behind Carol, ignoring her protests as he gripped the base of her plug, gently pulling it out.
***
Hi, thanks for reading. What did you think of Loki's decision to capture Proxima Midnight? Thanos now has the power stone in his possession and is making his own moves to get to the other stones before Loki. Loki is also coming into his own as a warrior. It's still not enough to challenge Thanos directly, but Loki was never one to fight fair.
Sorry about the delay in posting the chapter. I'm not feeling well right, and its making it difficult to write at the moment. I'll do my best to post on my regular day, but i apologize in advance if I'm late in posting for the next few weeks.
Please review, let me know how the story is going.
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Jumpin